Toronto Maple Leafs’ Matt Murray Place on LTIR for 2023-24 Season

NHL insider, Elliotte Friedman, has confirmed that the Toronto Maple Leafs will be placing goaltender Matt Murray on Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) for the upcoming 2023-24 season. The announcement was made by the Maple Leafs PR department via Twitter, stating that Murray is out indefinitely and will be placed on Injured Reserve/Long Term Injury.

The decision comes as the team was on the verge of considering a buyout for Murray to comply with the salary cap regulations. However, with the goaltender now on LTIR, the Maple Leafs can bypass the buyout option, and his cap hit, along with Jake Muzzin’s, will not be counted towards the salary cap ceiling, providing some much-needed financial relief as the season approaches. In fact, going on long-term injured reserve indefinitely, also means that the Leafs would not have been able to buy out him in their second window even if they wanted to.

The Maple Leafs announced today that goaltender Matt Murray is out indefinitely and will be placed on Injured Reserve/Long Term Injury prior to the start of the season.

— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) July 26, 2023

Murray’s placement on LTIR means that he will be unavailable for the entire 2023-24 season. Typically, this would be a blow to the team’s goaltending depth. In the case of the Maple Leafs, it’s exactly what they needed to help solve their salary cap issues. With both Murray and Muzzin removed from the roster’s cap calculation, the Maple Leafs will free up a combined $10,312,500 in cap space for the upcoming season.

With Murray sidelined, the Maple Leafs’ goaltending duties will likely fall on Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll for the 2023-24 season. Both netminders will have the opportunity to prove their mettle and step up in the absence of Murray.

This move has significant implications for the Maple Leafs as they strategize for the upcoming season. The team will now have the necessary financial flexibility to make any additional roster adjustments and strengthen their lineup further before the season begins.

What Else is Coming for the Maple Leafs?

As fans await the start of the 2023-24 season, the Maple Leafs are navigating the challenges of roster management, showing their commitment to building a competitive team while adhering to the salary cap regulations set by the NHL. The spotlight will be on Samsonov and Woll, who will have the opportunity to shine and make a lasting impact in the absence of Matt Murray.

That said, as per CapFriendly, “Even with Matt Murray on LTIR, the #LeafsForever exceed their LTIR relief by $2.1M Cap Hit: $95.9M Cap Space: -$12.4M Cap Space with LTIR Candidates: -$2.1M”.

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